RSD Essentials
Indie Exclusive - 20th Anniversary Pressing! - Decapitated’s third studio album, 'The Negation', is a high-octane, raw mix of death metal and technical metal. Released in 2004, this record boasts the unique and impressive musicianship that Decapitated are renowned for, making it a must-have in every metal music aficionado's collection. The band will headline Damnation festival this November, performing The Negation in it’s entirety to celebrate this anniversary.
Indie Exclusive - FIRST TIME ON VINYL - Armed to the Teeth is Swollen Members' fifth full-length release, released on October 27, 2009. The album features guest appearances by Talib Kweli and Tech N9ne. In the United States the album debuted at #146 on the Billboard 200 with 3,400 copies sold in its first week, making it their first appearance on that chart.
ThinkIndie Exclusive - Velvert Turner is largely known for being a protégé and student of Jimi Hendrix, who he met as a teenager in New York in the late ‘60s. The influence is immediately clear, with respect to both Turner’s guitar work and vocals. Some have even mistaken his only album for a “lost” Hendrix recording. Velvert Turner Group’s self-titled 1972 release, which aptly closes with a tribute to Hendrix (a cover of “Freedom”), is now back on vinyl, remastered by Dave Gardner. This reissue features an alternate mix of the first song, “Madonna (of the Seven Moons)”, as a bonus track.
Indie Exclusive - Early Texas blues recordings from Grammy® winner and Blues Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Winter, one of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Pressed on beautiful heavyweight blue vinyl.
Solange Presents "Sol-Angel & The Hadley St. Dreams" [RSD Essential Indie Exclusive Red Vinyl]
Boobie Knight & The Universal Lady
Earth Creature [ThinkIndie Exclusive Red-Hot Red Vinyl]
Vinyl: $50.99 Buy
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
A Day With Art Blakey 1961 [RSD Essential Indie Exclusive Metallic Silver ]
Vinyl: $32.99 Buy
RSD Essential 065 - 35th Anniversary Pressing! The revolutionary kings of death metal Morbid Angel with their seminal debut album Altars Of Madness. Features some of the most legendary Death Metal tracks of all time including Immortal Rites, Maze Of Torment and Chapel Of Ghouls.
Indie Exclusive - Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the first great recording star of gospel music and among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll audiences. Later being referred to as "the original soul sister" and "the godmother of rock and roll”, Sister Rosetta’s influence is omnipresent. Long overdue, Tharpe was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence in 2018. This set from 1960 has plenty of variety, lots of sincere feeling, and high levels of musicianship from the unique performer. Highlights include "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands," "Didn't It Rain," "The Gospel Train" and "Down By the Riverside." The album was remastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner and pressed at Furnace Record Pressing on Oxblood color vinyl for RSD Essentials.
Indie Exclusive - Tripsichord’s self-titled album, originally released on the Janus label in 1970, is a quintessential piece of late 1960s and early 1970s psychedelic rock. The band, originally known as Tripsichord Music Box before shortening their name, was part of the burgeoning San Francisco music movement. The record is characterized by swirling guitar riffs, intricate melodies, rich vocal harmonies, and a mystic sound that encompassed both guitar-driven psych rock and reflective, melodic folk. Though not widely commercially successful, the album has become a sought-after collector's item, celebrated for its authentic representation of the psych era.
RSD Essential 060 - Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood is the last album released by American horror punk band Misfits to feature founding member and lead vocalist, Glenn Danzig. Danzig released it on his Plan 9 label in December 1983, two months after he played his last concert with the band. It was noticeably harder and faster than their previous releases, showing more of a hardcore punk sound. Since its release it has often been referred to as simply "Earth A.D." amongst fans. Originally released as a 9 song LP, it was later issued with the three tracks of the Die, Die My Darling EP incorporated into the track listing: "Die, Die My Darling", "Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?" and "We Bite". Glenn Danzig has said that the tracks "Bloodfeast" and "Death Comes Ripping" were originally intended for Samhain's first release but were added to what would be the Misfits' final record in a last-ditch effort to save the band.
RSD Essential 061 - 50th Anniversary Pressing - Big Star, considered to be among the founders of power pop, has been cited as an influence by many of the major alternative bands of the ’80s and ’90s, and continues to be a powerful presence in today’s musical landscape. Radio City is the second album from Big Star. Released in 1974, Radio City includes “September Gurls” and “Back of a Car” which remain some of the most famous Big Star songs. The legacy of Radio City has far exceeded the original commercial letdowns of the album, which is now considered to be a milestone in the history of rock by critics and musicians alike. Both Radio City and #1 Record made it onto Rolling Stone‘s 500 “Greatest Albums of All Time” lists, while tracks from each album (“Thirteen” and “September Gurls”) are also among the magazine’s 500 “Greatest Songs of All Time".
RSD Essential 062 - AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON VINYL! - All the Brenton Wood classics, all in one album! Featuring hits like “The Oogum Boogum Song,” “Gimme Little Sign,” “Baby You Got It,” and many more, the quintessential compilation Brenton Wood’s 18 Best was initially released 1992 and serves as a showcase of Wood’s smooth, sure-handed delivery that cemented his place as one of the finest soul singers of his generation. This pressing marks the album’s vinyl debut.
RSD Essential 063 - “Czartificial Intelligence” debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top New Artist Albums chart when it was released in November and was the #2 most-added at Hip-Hop That also makes it the #1 debut on the chart. The wins keep coming as the record also debuted on the genreless Top 200 chart, coming in the top half of all records and a top 10 debut for the week! The third full week of airplay for the LP saw 3s all around as it earned a third week on the Hip-Hop chart and another top 3 appearance! Over at NACC top 200, the record cracked into the Top 50, 40+ spots up to a new peak and one of the top 10 greatest gainers for the week! The album peaked at the NACC 200 in Week 4, just outside the Top 40! That week it also hit a peak at Earshot, topping that chart at #1! The album earned 5 weeks at #1 NACC Hip-Hop, the record so far for the 2024 NACC Hip-Hop Chart!
CZARFACE debuted with their self-titled album in 2013 though 7L, Esoteric and Inspectah Deck first worked together on the 12" single “Speaking Real Words” in 1999. The three continued to stay in touch, periodically working together and, in 2013, Esoteric approached Deck about a possible full-length project centered around a superhero character called
“CZARFACE."
What they thought would be a one-off mixtape-type project has now seen multiple albums featuring collaborations with the likes of MF Doom, Ghostface Killah, Roc Marciano, Conway the Machine, Mayhem Lauren, Method Man, Action Bronson, Vinnie Paz, Frankie Pulitzer, GZA and more.
Indie Exclusive - Emerging from the late 1960s underground music scene, Clark-Hutchinson's collaborative masterpiece "A=MH" broke new ground in psychedelic rock. Guitarist Mick Hutchinson and drummer Andy Clark's fusion of blues, rock, and Eastern influences created a captivating sonic journey. The Underground Impresarios label brings this limited edition LP reissue on heavyweight red and black splatter effect vinyl.
Indie Exclusive - Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) is thrilled to announce the release - from recently rediscovered tapes - the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack to "It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown," the timeless 6th animated Peanuts® special, from writer and creator Charles Schulz, director Bill Melendez and producers Melendez and Lee Mendelson. Originally the special aired on September 27, 1969 on CBS-TV.
The album includes the original recordings that comprise the cues from the Special across twenty-six tracks, plus another 6 alternative tracks that have never been released or heard before.
Guaraldi lovingly created the soundtrack for the summer camp adventure where Charlie Brown and his gang face off against the girl’s camp lead by Peppermint Patty. The large jazz combo album also includes the best rendition of Guaraldi classic, "Love Will Come (Nova Bossa)" as well as the first use of additional percussion in Victor Feldman.
The recording features Guaraldi (piano), Monty Budwig (double bass), Jack Sperling (drums), Conti and Pete Candoli (trumpet), Frank Rosolino (trombone), Victor Feldman (percussion), Herb Ellis (guitar), Willian Hood and Peter Christlieb (woodwind), and John Scott Trotter as the orchestra leader. The soundtrack was produced by Sean and Jason Mendelson and restored and re-mastered by Vinson Hudson.
The album comes with liner notes that give a track-by-track analysis by Derrick Bang (author of "Vince Guaraldi at the Piano") and notes from Sean and Jason Mendelson, sons of Peanuts® producer Lee Mendelson. The album packaging also includes images from the special and images of historical documents from the found tapes.
Indie Exclusive - AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON VINYL! - It Takes A Thief is the 2010 compilation from the Electronic duo, Thievery Corporation. The album is a collection of tracks specially selected by Rob Garza and Eric Hilton for longtime fans and for music lovers who have heard of Thievery Corporation but may have never listened to the band. It Takes a Thief features 'Lebanese Blonde,' the beautiful track used on the Grammy award-winning Garden State Soundtrack, as well as 'Sound the Alarm', the funk-infused track that has become a
staple opening track for the band's live shows. Now released on vinyl for the first time – this exclusive RSD Essentials variant is available on coke bottle green vinyl.
Guilty Simpson & Small Professor
Highway Robbery [RSD Essentials 1LPxGhostly Teal]
Vinyl: $28.99 Buy
Indie Exclusive - Coalmine Records digs into their storied discography to unveil their ten-year anniversary reissue of Highway Robbery, the collaborative concept album from Detroit’s heavyweight emcee Guilty Simpson and Philly beat smith Small Professor. Weighing in at 11 tracks, the project places the listener in a seemingly post-apocalyptic Detroit where the mentality is feast or famine. Highway Robbery plays as one long narrative of Guilty’s day-to-day survival in Detroit’s concrete jungle, all set to the tone of Small Professor’s foreboding, percussion heavy production. Featuring guest appearances from Detroit’s Boldy James, A.G. (of D.I.T.C.), Elucid and Castle, the album is further highlighted with the meticulous turntablism of both Statik Selektah and DJ Revolution. This reissue also boasts the Zilla Rocca remix of “Go” which features Audible Doctor on the cuts. A decade removed from its original release, Highway Robbery remains a gratifying listen and strong addition to anyone’s hiphop record collection with its high-level lyricism, avant-garde production value and overall creativity.
Indie Exclusive - From 2006-2010 Shane Bunting aka Madchild was on a kamikaze run with the drug oxycontin that pushed him to the brink of oblivion. Hitting rock bottom, his addiction spiraled out of control and destroyed everything the successful emcee had worked so hard to build with is platinum selling hip-hop group Swollen Members. The fancy cars, lavish houses and rock star luxuries were all gone, as his addiction had consumed over 3 million dollars worth of assets and finances in just over four years. Clean from drugs for the first time in his adult life, Madchild removed himself from temptation by walking away from his previous social life and bunkered down in his home studio secluded from the outside world. For the next 10 months, Madchild feverishly wrote and recorded his first ever solo album, 2012's Dope Sick.
Indie Exclusive - Pickin’ On Green Day is a collection of some of the biggest and best-loved songs from the legendary East Bay punks reinterpreted through the framework of classic bluegrass instrumentation and vocal stylings. Three groups from the Pickin’ On roster – The Sidekicks, Honeywagon and Cornbread Red – provide different shades of bluegrass to Green Day’s singular songwriting. Each track showcases what one always suspects listening to the great pop-punks – that underneath the distortion and attitude are classic, enduring hooks that transcend style.
Indie Exclusive - The Jazz Rewind label is back with another first edition recording by two American jazz giants, Sonny Stitt and Red Holloway. This saxophone duo regularly performed and recorded together since 1967. Sonny Stitt sadly passed away in 1982. This Cobden’s Place set from Manchester UK, 4 March 1981 is previously unreleased on any format. They perform alongside other jazz musicians including Vinny Parker (Piano), Pete Glennon (Bass) and Ron Parry (Drums). Enjoy this first edition LP on heavyweight orange colored vinyl.
Indie Exclusive - The Jazz Rewind label brings this rare concert recording to vinyl for the first time. Part of the Las Vegas Union series of live recordings from 1963. Personnel here includes Gerry Mulligan (Baritone Saxophone), Bob Brookmeyer (Trombone), Gus Johnson (drums) and Bill Crow (bass). The musical partnership of Gerry Mulligan and Bob Brookmeyer was quite special. In 1963, Mulligan was well on his way to becoming the best known baritone-saxophonist of all time while Brookmeyer was arguably the finest valve trombonist in jazz history. Both had complementary styles, witty ideas, very fluent technique and easily identifiable sounds. Enjoy this first edition LP on heavyweight blue colored vinyl.
General Patton vs. The X-Ecutioners
General Patton vs. The X-Ecutioners [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Silver Streak LP]
Vinyl: $33.99 Buy
"Indie Exclusive * “Lovage” is defined as “an herb that is said to be a benefit for relieving abdominal pains due to gastrointestinal gas…also touted to reduce flatulence when consumed as a tea.” But when placed in the able hands of sonic mastermind Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, recording under the guise of musical lothario Nathaniel Merriweather, the result is a concept album of “music to make love to your old lady by.” With the help of collaborators such as Mike Patton (vocals), Jennifer Charles (vocals) and Kid Koala (turntables), Merriweather serves as your personal guide to the sensual side of life, painting a satirical, darkly funny portrait of love and sex with left-field hip-hop and instrumentals as only he can do."
Land of the Crooks [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Neon Green Color-in-Color w/Smoke LP]
Vinyl: $28.99 Buy
Vinyl: $54.99 Buy
RSD Essential 048 * 40th Anniversary Pressing * In 1983, Cyndi Lauper’s debut album, She’s So Unusual quickly became a worldwide sensation. Its legacy has lived on 40 years later as one of the most iconic albums of its time. Including smash hits, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” “She Bop” and more, this exclusive 40th anniversary edition comes on opaque blue vinyl, available only through RSD Essentials.
Ol’ Burger Beats is the alias of Ole-Birger Neergård, a Norwegian hip-hop producer, dee jay and record collector that hails from Vatne, Norway. Earning accolades over the years from the likes of Pitchfork, Mass Appeal, Okayplayer and more, the talented beatsmith has been compared by critics to the likes of Pete Rock and J.Dilla. Out of Sight, Out Of Mind marks Burger’s third full length effort, comprised predominantly of instrumental tracks and remixes that are sprinkled with verses from the likes of Illa J, Oliver The 2nd, Chester Watson, Kent Loon, Ivan Ave and Quelle Chris. Originally released in August of 2018 via HHV and limited to just 250 copies, the album was met with much acclaim and helped further establish Ol’ Burger Beats as one of the more elite producers in today’s hip-hop/jazz landscape.
Vinyl: $34.99 Buy
I Hear Those Blues: Rich In Stereo [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Ultra Clear w/Sea Blue Splatter LP]
Vinyl: $34.99 Buy
Indie Exclusive * BRAD, which featured Stone Gossard (of Pearl Jam) and Shawn Smith (of Satchel and Pigeonhed), reissue is a classic from 1993. This 30th Anniversary album has been remastered. Recorded in October 1992 in 17 days at Avast Recording in Seattle Washington. featuring soft, nocturnal rock, giddy rhythms and glossy funk jams. Smith is an unusual vocalist even without the grunge influences of Brad’s circle of friends, like Gossard and Jeff Ament’s Green River or Regan and Andrew Wood’s Malfunkshun, Smith’s honeyed falsetto starts to sound like the song of another species altogether.
Indie Exclusive * First time on vinyl * The Game's follow-up to the Dr. Dre produced, The Documentary was 2006’s G.A.M.E. He preaches the hardcore gospel with as much fervor as its predecessor, serving up narratives of street hustling hardships as gritty and lean as any of his contemporaries. The sound is still steeped in Dre's trademark languid, hazy G-funk grooves, as the opener "Anything You Ask For" proves. A successor to Compton's rap heritage, yet fresh and contemporary enough to make his own mark, the Game is the voice of the next generation of West Coast hardcore. Originally released on Get Low Recordz and has guest features with JT the Bigga Figga, Bootleg & Shoestring.
Indie Exclusive * Visionary artist Augustus Pablo is among the most important figures in reggae history. Widely credited with popularizing the use of the melodica in reggae, Pablo was a talented musician and an innovative producer who became an early dub pioneer. Now regarded as classics, his memorable 1970s recordings were part of the remarkable creative surge that vaulted the Jamaican music scene to international prominence. Much of this material was released by Rockers, an independent record label founded by Pablo and named after his popular Kingston sound system. Now, Nature Sounds is proud to present Roots, Rockers, & Dub, a new Augustus Pablo vinyl collection celebrating the 50th anniversary of Rockers. Featuring classic dubs along with rare and out-of-print tracks, the album captures Pablo’s immense contribution to roots reggae by highlighting a wealth of material spanning his entire career, all released on Rockers. Fully remastered and released in partnership with the Pablo family, Roots, Rockers, & Dub is a fitting tribute to an artist whose music still reverberates heavily more than two decades after his passing.
50th Anniversary Edition. Fresh expands and brightens the slow grooves of There's a Riot Goin' On, turning them, for the most part, into friendly, welcoming rhythms. Fresh winds up more varied, musically and lyrically, which may not make it as unified, but it does result in more traditional funk that certainly is appealing in its own right. It finds Sly precisely balancing funk and pop, creating an album that wound up being his last masterwork and one of the great funk albums of its era. A documentary on Sly & The Family Stone, directed by Questlove, is tentatively scheduled for 2023.
Indie Exclusive * First time on colored vinyl * TRST, the debut self-titled record from Robert Alfons and Maya Postepski, features tales of lust, wax, and erotomania carried along on a dense black vapor of speed, space and tears. TRST's "malevolent, sexy synth-pop" (Pitchfork) erupted out of Toronto's fertile underground music scene alongside darkwave contemporaries Crystal Castles and Austra. Lead by Alfons' otherworldly, gender-bending vocals and Postepski's genre-defying production, the album deftly moves across electronic pop, industrial, trance, and more. After two singles on Sacred Bones Records, TRST signed to Arts & Crafts for the album's release with accolades pouring in from outlets like NME, Pitchfork, and Under The Radar. To date, the album has sold 30,000 units in the US.
The Transcription Recordings [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Translucent Mint Green LP]
Vinyl: $27.99 Buy
RSD Essential 041 - ‘There Goes Rhymin' Simon’ is Paul’s Simon’s third solo studio album and one of his most critically acclaimed and beloved releases. Partly recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Studio, it shows Paul exploring a variety of musical textures in classic songs like “Kodachrome”, “Take Me To The Mardi Gras”, “Loves Me Like A Rock” and “American Tune.” The album was nominated for Grammy Album Of The Year and this 50th Anniversary RSD Essentials version is pressed on opaque orange vinyl.
RSD Essential 037 * Includes a bonus 7" - Live in Bonnaroo 2013 - exclusive to this pressing * From the band - We self produced/recorded this album in a room with no heat in the middle of winter. We never expected you, the person who is reading this, would ever hear it. I think that’s really part of the magic of it.
Indie Exclusive * Bonus Tracks! * Sally Cinnamon is acknowledged as the first release in the style which would come to be recognized as the Stone Roses' trademark sound. This EP includes 12" single mix, all the B Sides and additional live tracks. This is the first time this new configuration has ever been released. Exclusive Red heavy weight 180 gsm Vinyl. Half-speed mastered to the highest possible quality and DMM – Direct Metal Mastered with protective polypropylene inner bag. There will be other colored variants in the marketplace 90 days after this is released.
"Indie Exclusive * After being highly sought after by collectors, Jackpot Records is proud to release this definitive reissue. The New Dawn’s “There’s A New Dawn” is hailed as one of the rarest and best psych/garage private press albums to come out of the late 60s/ early 70s. Fuzz guitar, minor-chord organ dirges, monumental bass are the calling cards of this private press gem. Includes full download with 4 bonus tracks. "
"Indie Exclusive * First time on vinyl * Although it is not actually a group album, RZA is the executive producer for the album, and it features several members of the Wu-Tang Clan collaborating with New York hip hop veterans; AZ, Kool G Rap, M.O.P., Sadat X, Sean Price, Cormega, Masta Ace, and Havoc of Mobb Deep. The album also includes several philosophical spoken word tracks from the RZA. The album's production features live instrumentation by Brooklyn soul band, The Revelations. Chamber Music has a sound inspired by classic soul and kung fu imagery that resembles the signature Wu-Tang Clan sound. RZA “This album has a very live element of today’s musicians playing the vibe of Wu-Tang. The vibe we would normally sample, the vibe of things that we would accumulate through old soul songs, jazz songs, kung fu movies, whatever, now you’ve got musicians that can play this vibe with Wu-Tang MCs rapping over it. The goal of this album is definitely paying homage to our early sound.” "
Indie Exclusive * First repress since the original in 2001. Copies on Discogs sell for well over $100. Weird Revolution is the eighth studio album by the band, released on Surfdog Records and Hollywood Records. It is in large part a rerecorded version of an earlier album, tentatively entitled After the Astronaut, that was abandoned in 1998. The Surfers teeter on the brink of conventional rock values. However, throughout the album, singer Gibby Haynes drives the proverbial truck into the ditch with rambling psychotic speeches.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ESSENTIAL Iggy & The Stooges- Raw Power we’re proud to offer the pressing on gold vinyl. Includes both the original 1973 David Bowie mix and the 1997 remix of the album.